


Nightmares

by NextTrickAnvils



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Morgana's only in Chapters 2 & 4, Ryuji's only in Chapter Three, Spoilers for the Fifth Palace in chapters one and two, Spoilers for the Sixth Palace and its aftermath in chapter three
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 13:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15025490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextTrickAnvils/pseuds/NextTrickAnvils
Summary: Haru gasped as she sat up in her bed.  It takes her a minute to gather her senses. She pulls her knees to her chest and cries. It wasn't the first time her father haunted her nightmares but this one...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hit bit of a block on my other AkiraxHaru fic so have some angst!~
> 
> Looking back, I'm kind of surprised that the idea of Haru blaming herself for her father's death only really gets brought up once in the game and never again. But I suppose that's a consequence of her and her storyline being introduced so late. This was originally gonna be a one-shot but well more ideas came to me so yeah.

_Haru found herself sitting in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by unfamiliar people. She heard a familiar voice further ahead and the crowd of people stood and shouted._

_"Okumura-San!"_

_"Okumura-San! A question please!"_

_"So are you saying all of this was done under your orders?"_

_Wait a minute... was this...!?_

_"...Yes. I... am solely responsible"_

_She stood up and saw her father in front of several microphones, an expression of great remorse on his face and Haru immediately panicked._

_'NO! NO!'_

_Haru turned around and tried to run but found it difficult to move amongst the crowd. She pushed and shoved as much as she could while the reporters continued questioning her father._

_She couldn't watch this. Not again._

_"About that... I have a critical piece of information to announce here today."_

_'NO! NO! NO! NO!'_

_She finally pushed herself out of the crowd but instead of the room's exit, Haru stood right in front of her father._

_"...No..."_

_"I..."_

_Just as before, Kunikazu Okumura's face darkened as he gripped his chest and threw his head back. Haru tried to look away as he collapsed but she couldn't move, she couldn't even close her eyes. Once again she was forced to witness the sight of her father's blank eyes and blood (maybe? It seemed too dark) spilling out of every hole in his face._

_Haru wanted to cry, she wanted to vomit, she wanted to scream but she couldn't do anything but watch._

_"...Haru..."_

_Was he speaking to her!? His voice sounded strained, she could hear him gurgling the blood(?) in his mouth with each word._

_"Why... why... why did you do this?"_

_"Wha... what!?"_

_Her father stood up, the way he moved feeling unnatural, like a puppet on strings. He raised one arm and pointed at her in an accusatory manner._

_"You... truly hated me... this much..."_

_"No! I just wanted... I just wanted you to change... I-I di-didn't..." she responded on the verge of tears_

_It was at this point that she noticed the crowd of reporters surrounded her. She could feel them staring at her despite their blank faces. They all raised their hands and pointed at her._

_"You... you murdered me... YOU... YOU DID THIS! YOU DID THIS!" Her father screamed_

_The crowd joined in the chant of "you did this" as Haru dropped to her knees._

_"No. I didn't. I... I... No! NO! NOOOOOOOOO!"_

Haru gasped as she sat up in her bed. 

It takes her a minute to gather her senses. She pulls her knees to her chest and cries. It wasn't the first time her father's mental shutdown haunted her nightmares but this one... she shudders at the memory of her father's words.

_YOU DID THIS!_

She needed to get out of here...

Without hesitation, Haru got up from her bed and walked to her dresser. She decided to not change out of her long nightgown, simply putting on a pair of tights and her light blue jacket.

She opened her bedroom door quietly and looked around to see if any of the maids were around. Once she was sure that the halls were empty, Haru rushed to the front door, making sure she grabbed her shoes before heading out. She didn't know where to go but it had to be far from here.

~~~

Haru went on the first train she could, ignoring the stares in her direction. Even as the train took her farther and farther from her neighborhood, the nightmare still replayed itself in her mind.

"Isn't that Kunikazu Okumura's daughter?"

"I think it is. The poor dear."

She glanced to the side and saw two older women talking to each other a few seats down. Despite them trying to speak in whispers, Haru could hear them clearly.

"...To lose her father and in such a horrible way. I can't imagine what she must be going through."

'Stop talking about me like I'm not here.' Haru thought

"I know. Those Phantom Thieves are monsters. They need to pay for what they've done."

Haru froze at that and suddenly the nightmare's chant of "YOU DID THIS" repeated. 

'We... I... I...'

She could feel tears once again stinging her eyes.

_"NOW ARRIVING IN YONGEN-JAYA! NOW ARRIVING IN YONGEN-JAYA!"_

Haru immediately stood from her seat and gripped the handrail. Soon the train came to a stop and the doors opened.

~~~~

It was only after leaving the station that Haru realized where she went. She recalls the night when the rest of the Phantom Thieves stepped in to defend her and Mona-Chan from Sugimura. Haru couldn't help but blush at the memory of how afterwards, Akira-kun held her hand as they went to Cafe Leblanc and kept asking her if she was going to be alright.

Maybe that was why she came here. She'd only known Akira for about a month but she felt like she could tell him anything. With that thought, she made her way to the small cafe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Haru!? What are you doing here!? What happened!?" Morgana shouted
> 
> "I-I know it's late and I'm sorry but... I... I had a nightmare about my father... and... and..."
> 
> Akira doesn't say anything as he places a hand on Haru's shoulder and takes her inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry this update took so long. Went through a lot of rewrites on it. Funny how I started working on this because I hit a block on another fic and then I got writer's block on this one. :P

"Hey, you need to get to sleep."

Akira ignored Morgana, continuing to stare at the attic ceiling. The (not) cat growled and jumped onto Akira's chest.

"ACK! Morgana!"

"Come on! You got school tomorrow! You need rest!"

"I know, I just... have a lot on my mind right now."

Morgana's expression softened, "...You're worried about the SIU aren't you?"

"...Yeah."

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, they don't know about the Metaverse so... and... we're The Phantoms right? We'll get through this!"

Akira could tell that Morgana still sounded unsure so he smiled and scratched his companion's ears.

"Of course. Nothing's going to stop us."

Suddenly the two of them heard frantic knocking from downstairs.

"I thought you flipped the sign."

"I did."

The two got up from the bed and rushed downstairs. Akira quickly unlocked the door and opened it. His and Morgana's eyes widened at the sight before them.

"Haru!? What are you doing here!? What happened!?" Morgana shouted

"I-I know it's late and I'm sorry but... I... I had a nightmare about my father... and... and..."

Akira doesn't say anything as he places a hand on Haru's shoulder and takes her inside.

\----

The three of them head upstairs. Haru's coat is removed and placed on Akira's desk chair. Afterwards they sit down on the sofa. Akira to Haru's left and Morgana to her right, the two of them silently wait for her to speak up whenever she was ready.

"...I've been having these nightmares since my father's death. I find myself at the press conference he held, surrounded by reporters. When I realize where I am, I try to get out before it happens. But every time, I end up right in front of him just as he... I can't look away. I can't even close my eyes..."

Her hands grip the fabric of her nightgown and the tears return, "That was how they always played out but this time... this time m-my father spoke to me. H-he accused me of- of hating him so much that I would kill him. Th-the crowd then looked at me and started saying the same thing over and over, I did this..."

It doesn't take long before Haru starts to sob and visibly shake. She feels Akira placing his hand over hers.

"Haru, it's alright. It wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong."

"I just- I keep wondering if I should have- if I could've done something different."

"...So did I."

At that, Haru lifts her head up and looks at Akira. She can't quite place the expression on his face. Frustrated? Disappointed? Tired?

He continues, "...After your father's death, I kept replaying everything about the infiltration in my head. Trying to figure out what went wrong. If there was something we did differently. I felt like... like I..."

Akira looks away from both her and Morgana, "...Like I failed... everyone..."

Haru stared at him, feeling like she just saw a side to her leader that no one else had. She glances at Morgana and it seems like he's caught by surprise over this as well. Akira then takes a deep breath and faces them, the previous expression is gone.

"What I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't be blaming ourselves. It won't get us any closer to the truth. The only one at fault here is the true culprit and I promise Haru, we'll find them."

Once again, Haru found herself starting to cry.

"Haru!?" Both Akira and Morgana shouted

"I-I'm alright. I just... thank you Akira-kun. You always seem to know just what to say." she replied with a smile

Akira sighed with relief, "I'm happy to help."

There's a moment of silence between them all. Haru rests her head on Akira's shoulder as he brushes her hand with his thumb.

But before long, they're forced to separate when Morgana tells the two that they should probably go back to sleep soon.

"Alright, I'll go get the spare blanket. I can sleep on the couch, you take the bed Haru."

"Actually... if you don't mind... maybe- maybe we could share the bed?"

Haru instantly covered her mouth as her face turned red.

What was she thinking!? Why did she even say that!?

She glanced at Akira, who was looking just as red as she was.

"I mean! I u-uh... I feel bad for kicking you off your bed and..."

"I... don't mind."

"Huh?"

"If you're alright with it then... we can share the bed."

Was he serious?

Akira walked over to his bed, arranged himself to give Haru some room, and looked at her expectantly.

He was serious... well if he was alright with it then there should be nothing to worry about.

Without saying a word; Haru stood up from the couch, removed her shoes and tights, and joined Akira in the bed.

There was some initial awkwardness considering the size of the bed (big enough to hold them both but small enough that they practically had to cuddle) but it didn't take long before Haru could feel herself growing tired. The last thing she saw before falling asleep was Akira's smile.

It was the most peaceful sleep she's had since that horrible night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll can also find me on tumblr at http://nexttrickanvils.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Haru?"
> 
> "I-I'm sorry if I woke you up Ryuji-kun."
> 
> "Nah, it's fine. Couldn't sleep anyways. Same for you?"

_ This was it. Time to set the plan in action. _

 

_ Everyone plays their parts _

 

_ Joker tells everyone to go, that he'll serve as a decoy. Skull hands him the briefcase while everyone gives a tearful but hopeful good bye.  _

 

_ But something in Noir tells her that she can't just leave it like this. So as he starts to walk away, she decides to go off-script. _

 

_ "Joker, wait!" _

 

_ He turns around as Noir walks up to him. _

 

_ "I... I know I already told you not to be reckless but... please promise me that you'll be alright. You... you mean so much to me and I... I lo-" _

 

_ Before Noir finishes, she feels Joker placing his free hand on her cheek. The two look at each other and edge closer and closer before pulling each other into a passionate kiss. _

 

_ From behind her, she can hear shouts of surprise from a couple of their friends. Oracle's muttering about how someone on the team now owed her money while Skull is cheering. _

 

_ "Ahem." _

 

_ The two finally break their kiss and face Crow. _

 

_ "I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're all quite happy for the two of you. With that said, we cannot waste any more time." _

 

_ "Of course." said Joker _

 

_ Joker... no... Akira looks back at her and smiles. _

 

_ "I promise, I'll come back." _

 

_ Noir smiles back and closes her eyes. _

 

_ **BANG!** _

 

_ She opens her eyes and no longer finds herself in the warm bright lights of the casino but rather the cold dim ones of an interrogation room. _

_ Before her stood Akechi in his usual attire and a smoking gun in his hand. He turned around and gave her that unnerving plastic smile. _

 

_ "Oh hello Okumura-san." _

 

_ She immediately tries to reach for her axe. But when she grabs nothing, she realizes that she's no longer Noir. She is simply Haru Okumura... and she's trapped in this room with Goro Akechi. _

 

_ Akechi chuckles. _

 

_ "Do not worry Okumura-san, I have no intention of harming you. After all, I've already taken care of my true target." _

 

_ It was only then that Haru finally noticed what was behind Akechi. _

 

_ Akira Kurusu slumped against the wall, a splash of red behind his head.  _

 

_ From where she stands, she can see his face. His usually bright eyes now glassy and unresponsive. His dark hair soaked with blood. His jaw hanging in shock... or perhaps in pain.  _

 

_ All Haru can do is scream. _

 

She's still screaming as her eyes shoot open.

 

Where!?

 

Akechi!

 

Akira!

 

...Room... she's in her room. It was a nightmare.

 

Haru sits up and takes several deep breaths. She lifts her head up when she hears loud knocking on her door along with the voice of one of the maids.

 

"Haru-san!? Are you alright in there? We heard screaming!"

 

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"I'm sure."

 

"Alright... we're all here if you need us, Haru-san."

 

"Th-thank you."

 

The footsteps outside her room grow more distant. Once they're gone, Haru steps out of her bed and picks up her phone from her dresser.

 

She goes straight to the messenger app. No new messages.

 

Futaba promised that she'd contact the rest of the team once she was sure about Akira's fate. The fact that there still hasn't been any word from her caused Haru to worry.

 

She needed to talk to someone...

 

Haru switches to her contacts and scrolls down the list, thinking of who she should call. Soon she makes her choice.

 

Haru's about to hang up when she gets an answer after the second ring.

 

_ "Haru?" _

 

"I-I'm sorry if I woke you up Ryuji-kun."

 

_ "Nah, it's fine. Couldn't sleep anyways. Same for you?" _

 

"...In a way..."

 

_ "...Worried about Akira?" _

 

"...Yes... I-I had a nightmare... the plan didn't work. I was in the interrogation room. Akechi was there and Akira was... he was..."

 

_ "Hey, hey, hey. Ya don't gotta say it if ya don't wanna." _

 

Haru sighs.

 

"I-I'm just scared... especially since we haven't heard from Futaba-chan yet."

 

_ "Yeah I get ya. But I'm sure Akira's okay, if anyone can pull this off it's him." _

 

She wants to believe Ryuji. She really does. Yet her head is filled with what if's and everything that could have gone wrong. With that Haru begins to cry.

 

_ "HARU!?" _

 

"I-I'm sorry Ryuji-kun. I know you're trying your best but... but I just..."

 

_ "Haru, it's okay. If ya gotta cry, go ahead. My ma always said that holding back yer feelings ain't healthy." _

 

"...Your mother sounds like a very bright woman."

 

_ "Heh, I'll tell her ya said that. But anyways... I'll admit all this waiting is pretty effin' scary. I might have just lost my best friend and not know it. It sucks that hoping for the best is all we can do." _

 

Haru hears Ryuji take a deep breath before he continues.

 

_ "So yeah I'm scared but I really think... I KNOW Akira can pull this off. But if he doesn't then we've still got each other. For Akira's sake, we ain't gonna let the Phantom Thieves fall apart. Hell, tell you what; no matter what happens, next time we see Akechi, you get the first hit. Better yet, I'll hold 'em and you punch." _

 

For the first time since she woke up, Haru smiled and laughed.

 

_ "Ya feeling any better?" _

 

"...A little. Thank you Ryuji-kun."

 

_ "No prob. I'll see ya tomorrow." _

 

"See you tomorrow."

 

Haru hung up her phone and placed it back on top of her dresser.

 

She was still scared but talking with Ryuji helped and while Akira is special to her, she still had the rest of the thieves for support.

 

With that thought in mind, she laid back down into her bed and soon fell asleep. No nightmares haunted her for the rest of the night.

 

Haru got up bright and early the next morning. Usually she'd be checking on the plants outside her room or getting her uniform ready. But as soon as she was fully awake, Haru rushed to her dresser and grabbed her phone.

 

She goes straight to the messenger app. One new message.

 

Haru nearly collapses as she reads it and begins to cry for joy.

  
**FUTABA:** Key item is safe and secure!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whether or not the first part of Haru's dream/nightmare (the kiss) actually happened... I leave that up to you dear reader. ;)
> 
> Scream with me about P5 and/or these fluffy kids on tumblr @ http://nexttrickanvils.tumblr.com/
> 
> I've also made an Akira x Haru Discord Server, it's small and not too active but that can change: https://discordapp.com/invite/Bj8rX5r


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'll... I'll be fine. It was only a bad dream." Akira replies as he wipes away the tears
> 
> She's heard that line before and it rang just as false as when she said it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: On my first playthough, I actually maxed out Haru's confidant on her birthday (December 5th) in-game. So there's a quick reference to that in this chapter... and that's about the most fun you're gonna get here; cause it's time for Post-Interrogation Angst™!~

It wasn't the first time Haru woke up to screaming but it was the first time it wasn't her own.

She quickly sat up and found Akira next to her, thrashing around and shouting.

"Please! No! NO! STOP!"

"Akira?! Wake up! Please wake up!" Haru shouted as she attempted to shake Akira awake.

Soon his eyes flew open and his screaming was replaced with quick shallow breathing. She could see tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Ha-Haru? Where...?"

"We're in LeBlanc. Your room. You... wanted to spend time with me for my birthday."

As Akira's breathing started to slow down and steady itself; Haru helps him sit up and pulls him closer.

"Hey."

Both Akira and Haru turned to the voice and saw Morgana climb up the bed to join them.

"Did I... knock you off Morgana? I'm sor..."

"I'm more worried about you! Are you okay?"

"I'll... I'll be fine. It was only a bad dream." Akira replies as he wipes away the tears

She's heard that line before and it rang just as false as when she said it. Haru then catches him rubbing at his wrists, still appearing raw and red even after two weeks of healing.

Haru remembers the day he came back. She remembers the bruises on his face and how tired his usual cocky smirk looked. But she and the others were all so relieved that Akira was still alive and that the plan worked so they simply pushed aside any questions they had. At the time, Haru figured that Akira would tell them about what happened when things calmed down... but they have and he hasn't.

Haru places one of her hands on Akira's and she can feel him tensing up.

"You... dreamed about the interrogation room didn't you?"

He doesn't answer. Instead Akira stands up and tries to walk to the stairs.

"Where are you going!?" Morgana shouted

"Just getting a drink of water. Then I'll head back to bed."

No... she wasn't going to let him get away with not saying anything. Haru ran to Akira and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Haru? What are you...?"

"Do you remember what I said today? If you were ever in trouble, I would be there for you because you were always there for me. Please Akira... please let me help you. I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

The two stood there for some time (Haru isn't entirely sure how long) before Akira finally spoke.

"You're right. I was... I was back in the interrogation room."

Haru lets go of Akira's waist and he turns around with a tired and pained look on his face.

"The police officers... they... they beat me. I was punched, kicked, and one of them grounded his foot on my leg. They injected me with drugs to make me talk... I-I can still feel the needles..."

Haru and Morgana look at him in horror.

"Akira... why didn't you tell us?" she asked

"...I'm the leader of the Phantom Thieves and a leader has to be strong..."

"There's a difference between being strong and being stupid!" Morgana interrupted

While Haru wouldn't have phrased it in that way; Morgana was right. She carefully takes Akira's hands with one of her own while the other caresses his cheek and she looks him in the eye.

"Akira, you're not just our leader. You're our friend, you're like a big brother to Futaba-chan, and you're my boyfriend. My fiancé. You shouldn't hold your feelings back like this. You're just going to hurt yourself and make us more worried."

Akira took a shuddering breath and leaned into Haru's hand on his cheek.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry" he said as the tears returned

"It's okay, I'm right here."

The two walk back to the bed while Morgana moves over to the couch. Haru and Akira lie down and pull each other closer.

Haru can't help but think of that night in October. When she dreamt of her father and came to Akira for comfort. She remembers the smile he gave her before they fell asleep so she gives him a similar smile as they start to drift off.

It isn't another scream or the sound of tossing and turning that eventually wakes up Haru.

Just Akira's voice gently saying, "Good morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S OVER! Thank you to everyone who commented and gave kudos to this. :D
> 
> As always you can find me on tumblr @ http://nexttrickanvils.tumblr.com/
> 
> And if you'd like, join my Akira x Haru Discord server over here: https://discordapp.com/invite/Bj8rX5r


End file.
